Angela Merkel: we are prepared to talk about Britain's EU wishes

Germany is prepared to listen to Britain's wishes over the European Union and
is willing to work towards finding a compromise, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel said on Wednesday after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to hold
a referendum on Europe.

9:35PM GMT 23 Jan 2013

Claiming that public disillusionment with the 27-nation EU is "at an all-time high," David Cameron used a long-anticipated speech in London to say that the terms of Britain's membership in the bloc should be revised and the country's citizens should have a say.

"We are of course prepared to talk about British wishes, but we must always bear in mind that other countries have other wishes and we must, in the end, always find a fair compromise," she said.

But she added that she considered it a greater priority "to work out a common medium-term budget planning, because this also is the basis for growth in Europe, and it is also in Britain's interests that our economy pick up."